Taking Flight October 2018

October 2018

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Birthdays Mary P. (91st Street) Iman Mohamud (Wentworth) Nancy R. (48th Circle) Julie E. (Colfax) Jenny E. (Glenpaul) Sahro Ahmed (Skycroft) Caroline Adeuga (York) Kathleen C. (Portland Avenue) Ayan A. (In Home) Geehan Mohamed (Fairview) Shirley Saydee (48th Circle) Tammy Caldron (Wentworth) Sarah Oni (Skillman) Rashidat Popoola (Troseth) Aretha A. (16th Avenue) Colleen Colonna (In Home) Comfort Meh (Wentworth) Sewunu Samuel (York) Felix Yallah (Oakland) Nancy Klemz (Plato)

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Dana N. (11th Avenue) Huda Hassan (Wentworth) Caroline W. (In Home) Adolphus Dolo (Portland Place) Bill R. (1489 Hoyt) Stacy Jacobsen (Plato) Pat H. (Oakland) Joel Olaniyi (Thomas) Taoreed Majekodunmi (29th Avenue) John C. (In Home) Kevin L. (In Home) Rebecca H. (In Home) Sandy Sabey (In Home) Mojisola Olafeso (Glenpaul) Karen Schreifels (48th Circle) Nichole Hofbauer (29th Avenue) Pauline Kunn (Portland Place) Rodriguez Huber (17th) Jonna Karan (Aurora)

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Happy Birthday!

Anniversaries

John Brewer (Groveland) 1 yr, Diamond Dixon (In-Home)1 yr, Ajoke Adeniyi (Aurora) 2 yrs, Daniela Hobbs (Oakland) 2 yrs, Steve Chinatu (Portland Place) 2 yrs, Zainab Allman (Skycroft) 2 yrs, Imani Bellamy (29th Ave) 2 yrs, Sonam Damdu (In-Home) 4 yrs, Annette Ogamba (91st Street) 4 yrs, Leann Grier (11th Ave) 4 yrs, Martha Adghe (29th Ave) 5 yrs, Lora Mason (Oakland) 6 yrs, Peter Tinega (29th Ave) 6 yrs, Nancy Klemz (Plato) 7 yrs, Tom Herbst (Maintenence) 7 yrs, Gifty Narh (91st Street) 7 yrs, Stacy Boehmer (Glenpaul/Demont) 8 yrs, Mark Lawson (Demont) 10 yrs, Saidat Adetunji (York Lane)10 yrs, Molly Hall (In-Home) 12 yrs, Jacinta Gortmaker (1489 Hoyt) 13 yrs, Karen Nelson (In-Home) 16 yrs, totalling 131 years! Congratulations everyone!

The Legend of Georgia McBride The ladies from 48th Circle have been Elvis groupies for several years. At least once a month they have been going to see a variety of Elvis shows in the area. In fact, some of the ladies have been to Graceland several times. So, when the ladies were invited to see “The Legend of Georgia McBride” at the Guthrie Theatre, they learned Elvis was in the play and boy were they excited!

As soon as Elvis got on stage, they would sing to his songs. As the storyline progressed, Elvis changed into dressing like a woman to perform drag. When the play ended, staff asked Marilyn what she thought of the play and she said, “I did like the play. It was a good play. It was pretty, and it felt good. It was funny, made me laugh.” It was a different kind of Elvis show than what we were familiar with. The staff asked Susan how she liked the play and she said, “Liked it.” When Paulette was asked, she said, “It was okay.” She liked the music, the colorful lights, and the flashy glitter. Towards the end of the play, when everyone was on stage, dressed up in drag, dancing and singing, lights flashing with confetti falling over all the audience, it felt like a celebration of life and oneness. We enjoyed the play very much! Karen Schreifels

Game Day! Thanks to John Feickert (Geritom Medical), MacKenzie and Nyat (Harmony) enjoyed a beautiful evening at a Twins game. MacKenzie loved how close they were to the field. She was excited for the chance to catch a ball, so she stood up every time a ball was thrown, but unfortunately MacKenzie didn’t catch any. Nyat enjoyed the fireworks that were shot up every time there was a home run. He was excited to be out, taking pictures and hanging out with MacKenzie and staff. ~Niconia Horace~

Wentworth House Demonstrates Elements Of A Wingspan Core Value Wingspan honors its core values every day, but our focus for August was Fellowship. It is often a challenge, when a new housemate moves in and there are already peers in the home. Power and control become quite often a routine, if not a battle. Sharon is the newest client at Wentworth. She processes communication a little differently than her other housemates.

Some of the housemates were becoming frustrated but wanted to find a solution. Staff continued to encourage Sharon’s housemates to be supportive because she needs them. Based on the unique mentorship of staff, housemates Patti and Jessi have taken the lead to teach Sharon some basic social skills through their routine fellowship that has also become an entry point for learning, respect and growth. With patience and this initiative by Sharon’s housemates, she has grown and the housemates feel successful in their efforts. This is a transformation not only for Sharon, but for Patti and Jessi as well. In context, the continual fellowship amongst the ladies at Wentworth increases their understanding of Wingspan’s core values and reminds them that they need each other to thrive. ~Wentworth Staff (Natt Jaleiba)~

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Taking Flight

is published monthly by Wingspan Life Resources Executive Director Therese Davis Editor Pam Carlson The mission of Wingspan Life Resources is to help people who are challenged by age, ability or health to realize their own unique gifts, talents and dreams. We fulfill this mission by providing individualized support services that promote personal choice, independence, dignity and fellowship with the community.

Please email us your changes to mailing address or email address: Contact mbrannan@wingspanlife.org

Welcome to Wingspan!

Kristine moved to Skillman on July 13th. The same day she moved in, Kristine went to Camp Confidence for two days with her roommates She is a very outgoing person, loves to help make dinner, water the plants, and she loves going to community outings, especially the mall. Kristine gets along well with her housemates.

Please help me welcome Kristine to Skillman family! ~Lina Ntakagero~

Empowering Abilities. Nurturing Spirits. Caring For Life.